Marsanne

Marsanne receives less attention than it deserves. And there's a reason: it typically ends up assembled into blends, usually with zippier, herbal Roussanne and oilier Viognier, its traditional sidekicks. Most such cuvées are produced in France, where geographical designations, not grape varieties, tend to take precedence on labels. If you've ever had the pleasure of uncorking a fine and rare white Hermitage, Saint-Joseph or Crozes-Hermitage from the northern Rhône Valley, you've probably caught a whiff of Marsanne. In California, though labeled differently, it’s much of the same narrative, with Marsanne generally playing a strong secondary role to its more celebrated cousins.

Working the Land:

Does soil influence the flavor of the final wine?

Traditionalists answer unequivocally, “Yes!” Soil is a key element of terroir, the natural environment in which vines grow, combined with climate (temperature, rainfall), topography (altitude, drainage, slope, aspect) and sunlight.

A more unorthodox view holds that the influence of soil on what you taste in the glass is a myth. Maynard Amerine and Ann Noble, two famous names at UC Davis, California’s premier wine school and research facility, conducted a study on the topic. Though the study is based on Chardonnay grapes, they concluded that the following holds true for all wine grapes: “no outstanding sensory differences were observed in wines produced from different soil type locations.” The key word is “sensory” (sight, smell, taste). They are not claiming that soil doesn’t affect vine behavior (yield, growth cycle, etc.). 

Marsanne is a comparatively high-yielding vine, which has caused many growers to devote more acreage to it than to its companion Roussanne, which yields less generously and more erratically. The variety is prized for its rich body and heady perfume but can suffer from a lack of acidity if grown carelessly/excessively or in overly warm areas. It is a reliable grape to cultivate, although sensitive to temperature, needing the correct range – not too hot, not too cool – for the grapes to achieve their greatest potential. 

In California, there is not much to speak of in the way of FPS/UC Davis plant material- just four selections. Three of them are ‘home-based’. Clones 01, 03, and 04 and one, 574, from ENTAV-INRA® in France – the only Marsanne clone propagated at that globally celebrated Southern French universal nursery! It should be noted that a primary contemporary resource for most all Rhône grapes these days is Tablas Creek winery and the proprietary nursery program through which they have generously made plant materials available to others.